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Phil Hartman
Philip Edward "Phil" Hartman (September 24, 1948 - May 28, 1998) was a Canadian-American comedian and actor. Phil had started his comedy career with the famous improv group The Groundlings, where he worked with Paul Rubens. Rubens had continued working with Hartman on his famous show Pee Wee's Playhouse where Hartman played Captain Carl, a grizzled sea captain who was a friend of Pee Wee Herman's. Hartman also had a bit part in Rubens' best known film Pee Wee's Big Adventure, where he played a reporter. Hartman had also been known for voice acting; his best known voice role on The Simpsons where he did several characters (such as Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure). Hartman had also done voice acting for Dennis the Menace, Eek! the Cat, & Gravedale High. Due to his experience with voice acting, Hartman had likely been chosen to narrate the intro to sketches as well as the famous "fake commercials" shown after the monologue. As a ''Saturday Night Live'' cast member, he is often believed to be one of the best, if not the best that SNL has. He was on the show for 8 seasons and played a total of 20 different recurring characters. Hartman retired from the cast of SNL in 1994, focusing his attention full time on the film industry. His departure from SNL at the end of the 1993 season was spoofed by him wearing a cowboy hat saying he is "going west", detailing his move from New York City to Los Angeles. However, like many retired cast members from SNL, Hartman was invited to host the show, which he did twice. In 1998, Hartman was murdered by his wife Brynn (who then took her own life). The following year, Hartman was honored by having a SNL episode dedicated entirely to him showing clips of his most memorable work, as was done for deceased cast members Gilda Radner, John Belushi, and Chris Farley. The memoriam episode was later made into a "Best of" video. Matt Groening elected to retire all of the characters on The Simpsons instead of recasting them out of respect for Hartman. Groening also had shown interest in Hartman working on Futurama prior to his death; the protagonist Fry's forename of Philip was in honor of Hartman, and Billy West's voiceover of Zapp Brannigan was an homage to the late actor. In Beck Bennett's audition in 2013, Bennett also impersonated Hartman's character Troy McClure. Characters/Impressions Characters *Beev Algar *Bill Franklin *Mr. Claymore *Bobby Coultsman *Brian's Dad *Chick Hazard *Don Keister *Eugene *Frankenstein *Helen *Helmut *Jesus *Jim *Johnny O'Connor *Keyrock *Mace *Michael *Officer Miller *Russell Clark *Steve *Susan *Ted *Tyler Impressions *Albert Goldman *Andy Griffith *Andy Rooney *Barbara Bush *Bill Clinton *Bing Crosby *Bob Packwood *Bruce Babbitt *Burt Reynolds *Charlton Heston *Dame Edna *David Brinkley *David Rockefeller *Dick Button *Dick Cheney *Donald Trump *Earl Holliman *Ed McMahon *Elton John *Fay Vincent *Frank Bartles *Frank Gifford *Frank Sinatra *Gabriel Garcia Marquez *Gary Busey *Halston *Issac Asimov *Jack Kemp *Jack Nicholson *James Stockdale *Jim Bakker *Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder *Jimmy Johnson *Jimmy Swaggart *Joey Adams *John Tower *John Walsh *Johnny Cash *Joseph Wapner *Kenny Rogers *Kirk Douglas *Kris Kristofferson *Lee Iacocca *Liberace *Mario Cuomo *Michael Caine *Michael Eisner *Michael Merrill *Mike Ditka *Mikhail Gorbachev *Nick Bakay *Oliver Stone *Oral Roberts *Ozzy Osbourne *Pat Buchanan *Pete Rose *Peter Graves *Phil Donahue *Ray Combs *Rex Reed *Richard Secord *Robert McFarlane *Robert Palmer *Robert Vaughn *Robert Ebert *Ronald Reagan *Saddam Hussein *Sam Walston *Stanley Weisberg *Ted Kennedy *Telly Savalas *Thomas Edison *Thomas Foley *Verne Lundquist *Victor Kiam *Wilford Brimley Category:Deceased Cast Members Category:Cast Members who Hosted Category:Season 12 Cast Category:Season 13 Cast Category:Season 14 Cast Category:Season 15 Cast Category:Season 16 Cast Category:Season 17 Cast Category:Season 18 Cast Category:Season 19 Cast Category:American voice actors Category:Longest Tenured Cast Members Category:Repertory Cast Members Category:Season 21 Hosts Category:Season 22 Hosts Category:Deceased Hosts Category:Cast Members and Hosts Who Have Been Impersonated